


the truth of lies (is that there’s none).

by lovemeright (fishcakes)



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Canon Related, Gen, M/M, at least what i imagined happened after, that day baekhyun decided to have a tattoo during the exoluxion concert, this is what happened after, what is the plot i don't know
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-26
Updated: 2015-12-26
Packaged: 2018-05-09 12:00:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5539184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fishcakes/pseuds/lovemeright
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>baekhyun is lost within a web of lies and half truths and chanyeol hates that the only truth he sees from baekhyun is the admission that he’s a lie.</p>
            </blockquote>





	the truth of lies (is that there’s none).

chanyeol traces the words on baekhyun’s forearm, the black standing out against the pale skin it was painted upon. it looked good on baekhyun, the italicised english letters traced down his forearm, partially hidden underneath his rolled up sleeve. it was somewhat a surprise when baekhyun approached him about getting a temporary tattoo similar to his own because baekhyun has never had anything done before apart from their costume tattoo from the first world tour. (but it wasn’t too much of a surprise because baekhyun had always expressed interest in the words that weave around his arms and wrist, tracing them with his delicate fingers, telling him they were beautiful.)

baekhyun reads the phrase slowly as chanyeol's fingers drag along each letter, trying his best to pronounce the foreign words as best he can, “mundus vult decipi, ergo decipiatur”. (kyungsoo probably helped him out with the pronunciation, nobody else amongst them could have better guided baekhyun through the latin words.) a bitter smile graces baekhyun's lips as he looks at anything but chanyeol while translating his choice: ‘the world wants to be deceived, so let it be deceived’.

chanyeol nods, he understands. being in an industry where truths and lies blur together all the time, it’s hard to tell when things are really what they are. the people will see what they want to see. that’s what they all have now, isn’t it? the fans will see what they want to see, the anti-fans will see what they want to see. their entire job was showing people what they were supposed to see. the smiles, the laughter, the tears, some were staged while others were real. what was the difference at the end of the day?

“it suits you,” he offers baekhyun a soft smile as he lies back down next to the other male, their arms pressed up against each other’s. the ink on baekhyun's forearm suits him and the words on display suits him even better. the world wants to be deceived, so let it be deceived, and byun baekhyun is a damn good liar. he almost has it down to an art with his too wide smiles and too loud laughter, his words that seem to come naturally and his ever-present playfulness.

he thinks baekhyun is brave. (fearless, baekhyun was fearless, the reminder of metal around his wrist no longer with him but with another member who needs the strength to pull through another day, doing the job meant for 6, in a country that was home.) byun baekhyun who loved his fans, who loved the support that millions are giving to him and the group, decided on words that carried such implications (though in an unfamiliar language) for thousands of people to see. to be captured into permanent images, to be plastered all over the internet. words that would be researched and defined and given meaning to by people who thought they knew what byun baekhyun thought. chanyeol thinks it’s brave but he also thinks it’s stupid because baekhyun could face more spite for his decision to speak out. he wishes that he could have talked baekhyun out of it but the day was over, the damage has been done.

the taller male intertwines their fingers together, tugging lightly on baekhyun’s hand. “you should wash it off.”

baekhyun narrows his eyes at the taller male, tugging back in response. “why? you said it suits me. i like it.”

“it does, it’s just…” chanyeol wonders if he should tell baekhyun that he’s part of the world he’s deceiving, that chanyeol was allowing himself to lied to over and over and over again whenever baekhyun says that he’s okay, that he’s fine. (he figures that baekhyun knows all the along, afterall the both of them understand each other better than they do themselves.) he wonders if he could tell baekhyun that he hates the facades and lies he puts on without seeming like a hypocrite because chanyeol was as good at bluffing as baekhyun was. he wonders if he could tell baekhyun that he’s worried about the incriminating words painting baekhyun into a liar without baekhyun laughing it off as nothing. “it’ll itch if you leave it on too long.”

“it only itches because you’re gross and you don’t wash up properly,” baekhyun snorts, watching as chanyeol rolls his eyes. he knows there’s more that chanyeol wasn’t saying, in fact, he wagers that he could guess what it was that was likely unspoken. (he wonders if chanyeol knew that his eyes spoke volumes, making up for his silence in times like these, in times where he lets his guard down since it’s only the both of them). baekhyun raises his hands, wriggling his fingers as he demands for the other male to pull him up into a sitting position. “you’re going to wash it off for me since you’re the one who suggested it.”

“you lazy bum,” chanyeol bats at baekhyun’s extended hands before rolling over to loom over the shorter male.

draping his arms around chanyeol’s neck to pull him lower, baekhyun grins. “you love me anyway.”

“you’re lucky I do, byun baekhyun,” chanyeol closes the distance between them for a quick kiss before pulling away. “come on, let’s go wash you up before someone else snatches the bathroom from us.”

baekhyun pouts, releasing his hold on chanyeol and allows himself to be tugged off the bed. there’s time to indulge in chanyeol later, he thinks, as he clings onto the taller male on their way to the bathroom. he settles down on the covered toilet, rolling his sleeve up to his elbow as chanyeol fusses about with water temperature, soap and a towel.

he finds himself running his fingers one last time over the inscription, hesitant to erase the one truth that baekhyun has on him, the reminder that baekhyun was a web of lies and half truths that has become his truth. humming echoes around them as warm water runs down baekhyun’s arm, a sign of contentment as soap and ink gets washed away. chanyeol watches as the words fade and he wishes the lies that baekhyun has weaved around himself would wash away this easily as well.

**Author's Note:**

> originally posted [here](http://petriichors.tumblr.com/post/135921457101/title-the-truth-of-lies-is-that-theres-none) as a gift for my exowriters-net secret santa.
> 
> thank you to sherry for being such an amazing secret santa to me and allowing me to fully enjoy the experience! i looked forward to your messages every day which you sent without fail despite being busy with work and getting ready for christmas. i’m so glad i was able to have met you and i’m forever grateful to have been paired up with you for this event. this isn’t anything much nor is it as good as i hoped it would be but i hope you enjoy this ficlet! merry christmas! :)
> 
> special thanks to the amazing Admin H for pairing us up for this event (and for helping me out with ending this ficlet~)! i wish i could have titled this "they call me baektat" but this vague angst fic needed a vague angst title. maybe one day!


End file.
